A voyage with multicultural overtones, having as a backdrop the
wonderful feast of Christmas—this is to what
Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal invite one and all at the beginning of the new millennium.
The voyage is in effect a rendezvous with a Child who is really out of the ordinary, and whom all come to adore. Poor and rich, young and old, women, men, all are drawn to the Manger. "A torch,...
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A voyage with multicultural overtones, having as a backdrop the
wonderful feast of Christmas—this is to what
Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal invite one and all at the beginning of the new millennium.
The voyage is in effect a rendezvous with a Child who is really out of the ordinary, and whom all come to adore. Poor and rich, young and old, women, men, all are drawn to the Manger. "A torch, Jeannette, Isabelle… quick, run to the cradle.” This Child, from heaven descended (Tu scendi dalle stelle), provokes an unprecedented commotion: He embodies hope, even expectation. He is the promise of salvation, of happiness; he glows with incomparable tenderness. Wherefore the joy, the celebration that carries on through the ages.
So there is singing, there is dancing, and musical instruments resound all about (Con guitarras almireces). Melodies break out from everywhere, each more beautiful than the next. Some are almost frenzied (Nu är det Jul igen – It is Christmas again), or express unrestrained merriment (Am Weihnachtsbaum – Round the Christmas Tree). Halls are decked, presents are searched for (El Noi de la mare – The Mother's Child), glad tidings are given (God rest you merry, Gentlemen). The festivities might even spill over into the New Year (Greensleeves) and give it a push in the right direction. Yes, indeed, the Bambin, the Nino, the Jezisku calls. It is He who, after all, offers the true "gold, frankincense and myrrh,” sort of spiritual Eldorado coveted by humankind. Once again, let us have good old Franz Grüber sum up the meaning of the feast: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night).
To all, then, bon voyage and a very merry Christmas!
